South Florida man says Parkinson's tremor vanished after incisionless brain procedure: "They flipped a switch"

For the first time in three years, Jan Holmsted says he is free of the relentless tremors caused by Parkinson's disease, a change he describes as immediate.

"It's like you hit the switch, doc, to turn it off," Holmsted told his medical team.

That "switch" came in the form of an MRI-guided focused ultrasound performed at Delray Medical Center, an incisionless procedure that allows patients to go home the same day.

"So not only does it help tremor, but it helps motor fluctuations, dyskinesias, and other motor symptoms of Parkinson's," said neurologist Dr. Arif Dalvi.

Holmsted, a retired Delray Beach Fire Rescue worker, was diagnosed with Parkinson's three years ago. He said the symptoms quickly became overwhelming.

"So it basically feels like I've had 50 cups of espresso and my whole body feels jittery," he said. "My arm doesn't stop shaking: 14, 16 hours a day, all my waking moments, and it's kind of exhausting."

When he learned about the MRI-guided ultrasound treatment, he didn't hesitate.

"For me it's kind of like a no-brainer, no pun intended, but it's worth it if it gives me any relief at all," he said.

Inside the procedure: how focused ultrasound targets the brain

On the day of the procedure, Holmsted had been off his medication for 36 hours so doctors could clearly observe his tremors.

"I'm jittery," he said before entering the MRI suite.

During the three-hour procedure, neurologist Dr. Dalvi and neurosurgeon Dr. Lloyd Zucker used MRI imaging to guide sound waves deep into Holmsted's brain. The targeted energy generates heat, creating a small, precise lesion, or ablation, in the area responsible for the tremors.

"It's disrupting what have become hyperactive circuits within the brain," Dr. Zucker explained.

Doctors first used temporary sonications to test the exact location, repeatedly checking in with Holmsted to ensure accuracy before making the treatment permanent.

Immediate results: "They flipped a switch"

After the final sonication, doctors assessed Holmsted, and found no tremor and no rigidity.

"It was literally like they flipped a switch," Holmsted said. "I felt a calmness that I hadn't felt in years."

Moments later, Holmsted hugged his neurosurgeon, then prepared to head home the same day — a key advantage of the noninvasive procedure.

His wife, overcome with emotion, celebrated the milestone in a simple but meaningful way.

"I'm ready to give you a knife tonight," she told him, referring to dinner at the table.

For Holmsted, that everyday moment, something once made difficult by constant shaking, now feels possible again.